Ruth Kelly: I am today publishing a consultation prospectus announcing our proposals for a long-term, strategic, capital investment programme to provide well-designed, sustainable 21st century primary school buildings at the heart of our communities. This uses the additional investment promised by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his Budget last year. This prospectus sets out the objectives of the programme and consults on proposals for meeting them.
	Our children deserve the best start in life. To that end, we have increased capital investment to unprecedented levels for the benefit of pupils, staff and the community. Building schools for the future and academies are already transforming secondary schools. For early years, Sure Start is providing new, modern infrastructure. We have already improved most primary schools, but now turn our attention to their longer-term building needs. It is time to help all local authorities, dioceses and communities to transform their primary schools and primary age special schools across the country.
	The programme will enable us to meet a challenging set of objectives.
	We will rebuild, remodel or refurbish at least 50 per cent. of primary schools. Within that, we would hope to rebuild or take out of use, as a minimum, at least the 5 per cent. of school buildings in the worst physical condition nationally, and to improve or take out of use the 20 per cent. of the worst condition buildings in our most deprived communities.
	Our primary schools need buildings that support high standards of teaching and learning, personalised learning and inclusion, and the provision of a wide range of services to pupils, their families and local communities, as envisaged in "Every Child Matters". We want all primary school buildings to be brought up to a good standard, with improvements to, for example, classrooms, kitchens and dining rooms, or sport and arts facilities. We also want every child and family to have access to year-round, 8 am–6 pm childcare, parenting support, specialist support services, a good range of after-school activities and access to ICT and sports and arts facilities after hours; access to be at their child's primary school or at a school or venue nearby, with supervised transfer arrangements for children.
	The primary capital programme will help achieve a number of national strategies already underway. It will support particularly "Every Child Matters: Change for Children", the White Paper "Higher Standards, Better Schools for All" and proposals in the Education and Inspection Bill, and the Primary Strategy. It also brings together the 10-year childcare strategy, workforce strategy, sustainable development action plan, and ICT and extended schools programmes.
	An extra £150 million will be available in 2008–09, rising to £500 million in 2009–10. It is expected that investment will remain at that level for around 15 years, subject to future public spending decisions—some £7 billion in total. This could be joined to other capital for primary schools from my Department to create a much larger sum for investment. On top of this could be added: other eligible investment from central Government Departments and agencies; local government investment, receipts and prudential borrowing; as well as contributions from the private sector and others. By joining up this funding and targeting it precisely we will achieve the ambitions of this programme.
	All local authorities will benefit from capital allocated by a simple, open formula reflecting pupil numbers and deprivation. Devolved formula capital will still be available for primary schools not directly benefiting from this programme.
	Authorities will need to set out how they will transform their primary schools over the long term and how they will target local deprivation from the start. My Department will support authorities that need help with this planning, and will approve all local plans before releasing funding.
	We know that well-designed, sustainable buildings can transform how teachers teach and learners learn. We have learned much through developing primary school exemplar designs, and propose to use the current design quality indicators and building standards, which should be applied to all schemes.
	We must be ambitious in looking at the best models of procurement and construction, if the programme is to achieve significant efficiency and deliver value for money for the taxpayer. We propose the use of local education partnerships (LEPs) where they will have been set up or, where there are no LEPs, other forms of local authority agreements, partnerships or national framework.
	At the heart of national policies for transforming teaching and learning is the effective use of ICT and access to stable, leading-edge technology, as set out in "Harnessing Technology" (2005). National and local plans will need to show how ICT will contribute to achieving outcomes.
	We set out what we might expect from national government, local authorities, dioceses, schools and pupils—and the skills and capacity that they will need to make this complex programme succeed. We intend to run regional pilots to test planning, design and procurement issues, to find solutions to joined-up planning and funding, and to showcase good practice.
	We are inviting responses to the consultation by 14 June 2006. Copies of the consultation prospectus are available on my Department's website and in the House.

Hilary Benn: I am pleased to announce that the United Nations (UN) Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is being launched officially today, 9 March, in New York. I know that many hon. Members have shown interest in this initiative.
	The CERF is a main element of the reforms to the international humanitarian system that I set out in December 2004, and which the UN has since taken forward. The CERF was approved formally by the UN General Assembly in December 2005, as a fund with a medium term target of $500 million, consisting of a pre-existing $50 million loan facility, with a grant facility of up to $450 million to be built up by donor contributions over five years. The CERF will enable UN humanitarian agencies to provide a more predictable and timely response to emergencies by ensuring initial funding from the grant facility is available immediately to support a rapid response to, for example, natural disasters or sharply deteriorating conflicts, and to address critical humanitarian needs in under-funded chronic or slower-onset emergencies, so-called "forgotten crises".
	The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to lobby donors for political support for, and contributions to, the CERF. As at 6 March 2006 a total of over $192.7 million has been pledged by 22 countries and one private sector organisation. The UK is the single largest donor, with a contribution of £40 million (about $70 million at current exchange rates) that is in the process of being paid. This will add to the $76.5 million that has already been paid into the CERF by other donors.
	The CERF will be administered by the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), under the management of the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, who will be responsible for approving all grant disbursements from the fund. The CERF will report annually to the General Assembly, which will provide overall policy guidance on use of the fund, and an Advisory Group of 12 humanitarian experts will be appointed by the UN Secretary-General as an independent body to advise on operational aspects and performance. Eight of the Group will be drawn from donors, with the other four members being independent experts. The Emergency Relief Coordinator will convene an annual donor consultation, and also liaise regularly with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, regarding use of the CERF.
	The CERF will be subject to an annual financial audit by the UN's external auditors, with reports made available to the Advisory Group, and public reporting on donations, expenditures, and CERF-funded programme results will be posted on to a dedicated CERF internet website. The CERF itself will be critically and independently evaluated after the first two years of operation, to review its relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and impact.
	I believe strongly that the CERF will make a critical difference in saving more lives and alleviating suffering earlier in future humanitarian crises, by enabling the humanitarian agencies to respond more quickly and effectively. Combined with the other reforms under way, it will significantly improve the international humanitarian system.

John Hutton: Today I have published the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) report for 1994–95 to 2004–05. This is a report published under National Statistics arrangements with results that cover Great Britain. Copies have been placed in the Library.
	The report shows the position during the financial year 2004–05. It reports on the levels of low-income among all client groups and the progression being made towards reducing poverty.
	I am also publishing today our Poverty Progress Report which demonstrates the huge progress we have made in raising aspirations and breaking the cycle of deprivation in Britain. Copies have been placed in the Library.
	With income measured in absolute terms, that is compared with 60 per cent. of 1996–97 median income, between 1996–97 and 2004–05 over seven million people have been lifted out of poverty; the number of children living in poverty has fallen by half; the number of working-age adults living in poverty has fallen by over a third; and, over 2 million fewer pensioners are living in poverty.
	With income measured in relative terms that are compared with 60 per cent. of contemporary median income, between 1996–97 and 2004–05 there were over 2 million lifted out of poverty. Of which, 800 thousand were children, 600 thousand were working-age adults and 1 million were pensioners.
	We have made significant progress on our journey to eradicating child poverty by 2020, the historic target we set in 1999. However, these figures also show how much more there is to do. We must now redouble our efforts in the years ahead; to focus relentlessly on the remaining barriers that hold people back in a new drive against social exclusion that will enable everyone to share in the nation's growing prosperity.
	Seven years on from setting the target of eradicating child poverty within a generation, we remain absolutely committed to our goal. By continuing to target support for those who need it most; by ensuring work for those who can; breaking the cycle of deprivation and working to deliver high quality public services we are building a long-term approach to deliver long-term change. Not just to tackle child poverty—but to offer every individual and every generation the opportunity and support to raise, and fulfil, their aspirations.